Archived News:

Monday, Apr 14, 2014

Nogumneeded.com is a new website from
Interceptor Entertainment that's got a countdown ticking off the next 30 days.
This recalls the news of a similar tease
from February where a tease
went up on alloutofgum.com (which now redirects to this new site) for Duke
Nukem: Mass Destruction, which prompted
a lawsuit from 3D
Realms over ownership of the rights. Presumably an announcement will eventually
clarify whether this means the legal issue is settled, the project is continuing
without Duke, or there is some other explanation for what's afoot. Thanks
DSOGaming.

The Crysis
forums have word that Crytek is ending multiplayer support for Crysis
and Crysis 2 on May 31st with the
the pending shutdown of GameSpy
services (thanks
PC Gamer). Here's word:

There has been a bit of discussion surrounding
the ceasing of operations at Gamespy, and we wanted to take the opportunity to
clear the air a bit as it were, by providing some informaiton on the whole
topic;

As of May 31 this year, the multiplayer modes in Crysis and Crysis 2 for PC will
no longer be playable. The conclusion of online multiplayer support comes as a
result of GameSpy Technology shutting down all their hosting services. GameSpy
have been providing multiplayer functionality for Crysis and Crysis 2 since they
launched. The single-player campaigns in both games are unaffected by this
transition, and the multiplayer mode in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 versions
of Crysis 2 remain playable.

We'd like to thank everyone who has taken up arms in Crysis and Crysis 2's
multiplayer modes in the last few years, and apologize to the small but
dedicated community of PC players who are still actively competing against one
another.

A new patch is now available for Horizon, updating the 4X space strategy
game to version 1.0.0.88 with a number of tweaks and changes suggested by the
community. The new version is automatically available
on Steam, where the game
is currently on sale for 33% off. Complete details on the new version
are here, and here's the short form:

UPDATED: Improved fleet managing A.I. for attacks,
or rallying to defend a system

UPDATED: Rebalanced economy and race relations

UPDATED: Improved UI

ADDED: French language now supported

ADDED: A new refit system is added to more easily
change the design of existing ships

ADDED: New UI icons added making it easier to
distinguish surveyed planets

CCP Games announces they have halted development of World of Darkness,
the MMORPG based on the tabletop RPG of the same name. The announcement does not
make it sound like the project will be resumed, and includes word that 56
employees at their Atlanta, GA studio have lost their jobs, and that the
remaining staff there will focus on games in the EVE Universe, which they say is
the first time the entire company has been focused on EVE since 2006. Here's
word from CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson:

The decision to end the World
of Darkness MMO project is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make. I have
always loved and valued the idea of a sandbox experience set in that universe,
and over the years I’ve watched the team passionately strive to make that
possible.

I would like to give special thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the
World of Darkness MMO a reality, especially the team members affected by this
decision. Their considerable contribution to CCP will not be forgotten, and we
wish them well.

To our current and former employees and fans of World of Darkness, I am truly
sorry that we could not deliver the experience that we aspired to make. We
dreamed of a game that would transport you completely into the sweeping fantasy
of World of Darkness, but had to admit that our efforts were falling regretfully
short. One day I hope we will make it up to you.

Although this was a tough decision that affects our friends and family, uniting
the company behind the EVE Universe will put us in a stronger position moving
forward, and we are more committed than ever to solidify EVE as the biggest
gaming universe in the world.

MP1st has details on an apparent bug discovered in Battlefield 4, DICE's
military shooter sequel.
This video demonstrates what commentator jackfrags refers to as a "
pretty game-breaking" bug where
fallen bodies eligible for revival will block projectiles, including tank
shells. A
tweet from DICE says they are looking into this: "Thanks for the ping.
Looking into it and will bug it." Continue here to read the full story.

The latest GfK Chart-Track listings of top-selling games in the U.K. for the
week ending April 12th are now available. The Elder Scroll Online holds
onto the number one position on the
full-price PC games chart where the top new entry is LEGO: The Hobbit
at number 10. On the
all platforms/all prices chart LEGO: The Hobbit debuts at number two, while
FIFA 14 drops to three with Titanfall jumps back into the top
spot. Here's the write up:

EA
remain at No1 this week with ‘Titanfall’ (+220%) reclaiming top spot from ‘FIFA
14’ (-1%), boosted by the launch of the Xbox 360 version.

‘Lego The Hobbit’ has to settle for a debut at No2 with FIFA 14 dropping to No3.
‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’ (+52%) jumps 4 places to No4 thanks to retailer
promotions, ahead of ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ (+28%) which slips one place to No5.
Easter holidays and retailer promotions will have helped kid’s titles
‘Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition’ (+35%), up from No9 to No6 and ‘Plants Vs Zombies:
Garden Warfare’ (+20%), back in the Top 10 at No8. ‘The Lego Movie Videogame’
(+7%) is the second of 4 Lego games in the Top 40 this week and a non-mover at
No7. ‘Assassin’s Creed IV’ (+27%) and ‘Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes’ (-36%)
complete the Top 10 at No’s 9 and 10 respectively.

There are new entries at No14 for Microsoft/Rare’s Xbox One ‘Kinect Sports:
Rivals’ and No34 for Alternative’s ‘Don Bradman Cricket 14’, while ‘Football
Manager 2014’ (+280%) is back in the chart this week at No18 thanks to the new
Vita version.

An announcement on
Battle.net we missed from a few days ago reveals plans for Curse of
Naxxramas: A Hearthstone Adventure, a single-player mode coming to
Hearthstone, Blizzard's card-based strategy game (thanks nin via
Polygon for the catch). They say this will be released simultaneously for
Windows, OS X, and iOS, but that a release date is not yet set, nor are pricing
details. This will add new cards and an all-new game board. Here's a bit:

Progressing
through Curse of Naxxramas and overcoming the challenges that lurk within will
reward you with all-new Hearthstone cards! Once you earn these cards, you can
start playing with them in your decks right away. A total of 30 new cards will
be added with Curse of Naxxramas - Check out a few of the shambling creatures of
the undead that are just dying to be a part of your collection below!

Wow... The Mad Men premiere was great, but I didn't know how much I should have
been looking forward to Game of Thrones last night... that was awesome! If
discussing details in the forums, please use spoiler tags for those who haven't
watched yet, and specify book spoilers, if for no one else, then for me.